Today, I am 40 weeks pregnant.

Today, I am 40 weeks  40 weeks and 2 days pregnant.

So far through my pregnancy I have felt pretty patient. While I had a few weeks at around the 27 week mark that I felt maybe Baby Girl would come a few days earlier than expected...(and a couple days at around week 37 that I felt similarly...though I'm pretty sure I felt that way because I still had SO MUCH to finish..So Murphy's law would state that she would come when I wasn't ready) ...I mentally prepared myself to see my due date come and go without much of anything happening. "Due Dates" don't really mean anything anyways. They are a tool used to help healthcare professionals keep track of growth and development, etc...so in that way they are useful. But really..if you really think about it...growing a baby over the period of 9 months and then expecting him/her to make their debut within a specific 24 hour window is kind of silly. 

I am a believer that babies, at least 95% of the time, will come when they are ready...Barring of course any such complication or high risk situation. 

..and I believe it with an attitude of loving patience....at least up until the point of 41 weeks. I cannot guarantee patience to anyone after that point. I'm just being honest. 

I looked forward to the 21st of August, my due date...not because I expected her to be born..but because I made that my deadline to be ready. Meals frozen, laundry caught up, apartment cleaned, etc. That was my deadline...so that any time waiting for her after than point would be purely relaxing...soaking in my last few hours/days of non-parenthood. 

I met the deadline. Everything got completed. Even the things on the list of wishes-but-will-do-only-if-I-have-time.

And yet, after only 24 hours past my "due date" I found myself starting to lose my patience..feeling, in all seriousness, that I will never go into labor. I got a little ahead of myself for a second. My head jumped into next week without me. All of a sudden, because I hadn't felt labor coming for one, single day, it meant that I wouldn't have a baby until next week...or ever. Logically. 

I have a sweet husband. He is calm and patient, though also anxiously awaiting his baby girl, and he reminded me that I was only 24 hours past that silly "due date"... that it was only Thursday...and that Monday is still days away. My midwife also assured me of this. The words "the night is young" were used and it also reminded me that when baby is ready to come, she will. Whether my body has given me days of warning or no warning at all. I could take a deep breath and return to my happy land of patiently, and lovingly waiting...and let me tell you..it is a GOOD place to be.

Today I had a date with my mom. We got pedicures and had lunch. It was so great to have a day to be pampered a little and enjoy the company of one of my best friends. I am also glad to have pretty toes to help me feel something human/put together when I am on my 3rd day of no-shower-yes-I-wore-these-sweats-yesterday-I-call-this-hairstyle-"No, I didn't brush my teeth either".  

I realize that Baby Girl could be in there another week and a half...and that it really is normal...(though I shudder a little at the thought)...I am pretty sure I'll be able to hold my patience for at least a few more days...and maybe until I hit 41 weeks...at that point, the jurry is out. Proceed with caution.

For now though, I am patient.

Noor took this on our way to church last Sunday...at 39.5 weeks.
I am of course sporting the basketball belly...
and the flip flops.
About that...I have never been one to wear flip flops to church. I wear heels..or flats more recently.
Pregnancy doesn't exactly make you graceful. Let's be real.
However, the last few weeks my feet have swollen. Not ridiculous amounts...but enough to make any other shoes really uncomfortable. So, I've been sporting those beauties pretty much everywhere. Even church.